Lucky to Have You
by ChelzToddBrooke
Summary: "You are so good with her and if Alexis is anything to go by, you do a good job of raising kids. I'm glad you're helping to raise mine..." Another AU story w/ Genevieve! Follows "When her two favorite people fight" Fluffy!
1. Chapter 1

** After I wrote "When her two favorite people fight..." I liked the little family so much I started a series. This comes after "When her two favorite people fight..." and if you haven't read that one (you really should :)) all you need to know is Castle and Beckett are engaged, Beckett has a 12yr old daughter (Genevieve) from a previous relationship and Castle has started teaching a writing class as his soon to be step daughter's school. **

**I own nothing!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Genevieve slowly made her way down the stairs, rubbing her eyes as she went. It was early on a Sunday. She saw Castle sitting in the corner of the couch. He was in a black t-shirt and soft grey pajama pants.

"Rick, where's Mom?" she asked, groggily. Castle turned his head to look at her

"She's out with Lanie, planning our wedding, you're stuck with me today," he smiled. Gen flopped down next to him on the couch.

"Shouldn't you be helping?" she asked.

"Nah, I learned from my first two weddings that I am not very good at the planning part," he joked. Genevieve shoved him in the shoulder. "I tried to help, but your mom said I was in the way," he admitted.

"Figures," she chuckled.

"You want some breakfast? I got your favorite cereal at the store yesterday," he offered. Genevieve nodded. He kissed her temple as he stood up and made her a bowl.

While Genevieve ate, Castle continued going through the papers from his class's latest assignment.

"Rick?" she started, sending cereal crumbs in every direction.

"Swallow first," he requested. She did as she was told before she continued speaking.

"Can we go do something today, or do you have to grade papers all day?" she wondered. Castle set his papers aside. The truth was he only had a couple more to look at but even if he had to grade papers, he would willingly drop everything to spend time with Genevieve.

"We can do something, what do you want to do?" he wondered.

"I don't know, something outside. Can we go to the park?" she asked.

"Sure, the park sounds like a great idea. I only have two papers left so why don't you finish eating and go get ready, then we'll go," he decided.

Castle emerged from his bedroom in time to see Gen bounding down the stairs once more. She was wearing a Richard Castle t-shirt she had dug up from the back of the storage closet full of promotional items when she first started spending time at the loft. The shirt made an appearance at least once a week, if not twice if Beckett let her get away with it. Castle had no idea why she was so enamored by the shirt, but he considered it flattery every time she put it on. To compliment the shirt, she wore a ratty pair of jeans with a gaping hole in the knee, exposing the neon colored band aids covering the scrape that caused the aforementioned hole, and a pair of classic Chuck Taylor's. She had long legs like her mother and the dark hair and eyes to match.

"You ready to roll?" he asked.

"Only if my date's ready," she smiled, moving to loop her arm through his and walking towards the door.

Genevieve took Castle's hand as they walked through Central Park. Castle smiled down at the child. He relished the fact that he was once again a father. No, he hadn't stopped being a father to Alexis, she just didn't needed him as much anymore, being away at college. And he still saw her frequently since she chose to attend Columbia, but it was nice to have a child who didn't have it all figured out yet. Someone who still needed guidance.

"So Gen, how is your writing class going? Do you still like it?" he inquired.

"We're working on developing characters, but I am having some trouble with it," she admitted.

"What kind of trouble, something I can help with?" he offered.

"Well, they want us to lay out the details of a character, hair, eyes, height, weight, and I can do that. But then they want us to describe their personality. How am I supposed to know what the character is like? They haven't done anything. I can't just look at a picture and tell you what the person is like," she sighed.

"Oh course you can. You can see if their eyes are sad or happy, or if they are smiling or frowning or they look like they just stole a cookie, or want to ask a question. But if you don't actually have a physical photo in front of you, it is hard to figure out someone's personality. But I'll tell you what I do," he started. The child looked up at him curiously. "I write a little sneak peek. I create a simple situation and put the character in it, to get a feel for how they tick," he provided. Genevieve didn't get it. Castle led her to a bench. "Ok, let me give you an example," he thought for a minute. "I got it, Jane hurried her way through the park, the blooming flower and innocent laughter of children completely lost on her. She only cut through the park because it was faster, she wanted to get to the office in time to have a complete hour of prep before her meeting. The meeting that just may land her that big promotion and make her the youngest partner in the firm's history. As she stepped back onto the city streets, she noticed a woman trying to balance a baby on one hip, a diaper bag on her shoulder, four books in the crook of her arm and what appeared to be a hot cup of coffee. Jane noticed the books slipping from the woman's arm and reached out to catch them before they hit the ground. Yeah, she would have to shave a few minutes off her prep time, but she was glad to lend a hand." Castle told, Gen listening intently. "Ok, so now what can you tell me about Jane?" he asked. Genevieve replayed the story in her head.

"She has some kind of business job, so she is probably pretty serious and a hard worker. She wants to be early to her meeting so she is an over achiever and what's the word, ambitious? Since she would be the youngest partner at her firm." She was interrupted.

"Yes, ambitious is the word you're looking for. You have quite the vocabulary, remind me never to play Scrabble with you," Castle interjected with a chuckle.

"Um, she ignored the flowers and the kids, so she is focused, unlike somebody I know," Castle narrowed his eyes at her teasing. "And she helped the lady with her books, so she is helpful and caring," Genevieve finished her analysis.

"Very good! Now let's take it one step further. Why does she work so hard? Is she trying to impress somebody, make somebody proud, or does she do it for herself? Also, is she on the go all the time or does she ever take time to enjoy the flowers? And why does she stop to help the woman, if her job is so important?" he challenged her. He smiled as her little tongue stuck out and her eyes shot to the sky as she thought.

"She does it for herself. Yes, it makes her parents very proud, but they told her she could be whatever she wanted as long as she was happy. And this job makes her happy. Also, she is on the go most of the time, except those two weeks of vacation she gets where she goes somewhere different every year with no distractions. That's when she enjoys the flowers. It's a reward for all her hard work. Oh! And she has Sundays too, just like mom, where she hangs out with her friends. And she stopped to help the woman because it was the right thing to do. Her parents taught her to always do the right thing, even if you have to go out of your way a little bit," she rattled off. Castle was impressed. The girl had the mindset of a writer.

"See, you are good at this! I wish you could be in my class, you have a gift, Gen," he smiled.

"Well, my stepdad is a bestselling author," she grinned.

"Yeah, but you didn't get that from me. It's all that beautiful mind of yours," he replied, hugging her close. He loved the fact that she already referred to him as her stepdad even though the wedding was not for a couple weeks. There was part of him that hoped after the wedding he would be able to adopt the child, but that all depended on her father. Castle was willing to take what he would get and if that was being this brilliant girl's stepdad, he would take it.

"What if the teacher doesn't let us write a sneak peek?" her voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Then you do it in your head, just like we did," he answered easily.

"Thanks Rick," she beamed.

"No problem kid, you want to get some ice cream before we move on?" he offered.

"Wouldn't Mom say we are spoiling our lunch?" she checked.

"I won't tell her if you don't," he bargained. She grinned wildly and stood from the bench, tugging him towards the ice cream cart.

Castle watched Genevieve as she licked and slurped at her ice cream cone. The chocolate rivers rolled down her fingers and dripped onto the table. He cocked his head slightly. There were times the girl reminded him of Alexis and this wasn't one of those times. Alexis was neat as a pin. If it came down to him and her, he was usually the one covered in ice cream. Alexis had no problem in dirty situations, but she was the gloves and apron type, whereas Genevieve just dove right in, head first, she would deal with the stained clothing later. What it really came down to was the fact that Alexis was more of a girly girl and Gen was a tomboy. It was to be expected though, her mother was a cop and Gen grew up around the rough and tumble men of the precinct. He wasn't sure Gen brushed her hair regularly until Alexis told her it would keep it from being tangled and ratty all the time. He chuckled at that thought, apparently out loud.

"What?" the girl asked, running her tongue along her chocolate mustache.

"Nothing, it just looks like you could use some napkins, kid," he pointed out.

"I guess," she shrugged, popping the last bite of her cone in her mouth. It was then she noticed Castle had finished his some time ago. "Do you need one?" she checked. Castle looked at both of his hands, a little sticky spot here or there.

"Sure, it wouldn't hurt," he decided, sitting back in his chair and watching her skip back over to the cart. He straightened up as a man approached Genevieve on her way back from the cart. He was dressed in dirty work pants and a white tee with a black jacket. His hair was hidden by a bandana and Castle had yet to see his face. Castle was out of his chair when the man pulled Gen in for a hug. She turned to look at him, obviously telling the man who she was there with. When the man met his eyes, Castle instantly recognized him. It was Cole, Genevieve's dad. Castle had never met the man personally, but he had seen him in pictures.

"Where's your mom, Geni?" Cole asked as Castle walked up.

"She's out with her friends, working on the wedding. I told you I'm here with Rick," Gen repeated, sending Castle a look and trying to squirm out of her dad's grasp.

"Richard Castle, I assume you're Cole," he greeted, offering a hand shake. That pulled Cole's hand off of Genevieve's shoulder, allowing her to move to Castle's side.

"So you're Kate Beckett's new man," Cole replied, giving Castle a good once over.

"So it seems," Castle replied stiffly. "It was nice meeting you Cole, but Gen and I have somewhere we have to be," he shut the conversation down before Cole could say anything else.

"Well, don't let me make you late," Cole said, his voice full of disdain. "Geni, I'll see you soon," he added with a smile that even made Castle uncomfortable. Genevieve hated to be called Geni and now Castle knew why. Cole disappeared, but Castle knew he wasn't far away. He could feel him. He leaned down to be face to face with the girl.

"You ok?" he checked. She nodded and he took the napkin from her hand and quickly helped her get the spots she missed on her face.

"Can you carry me?" she asked.

"Yeah, you want a piggy back ride?" he assumed, but to his surprise she shook her head no.

"I just want to be carried," she requested. That was how Castle knew she really wasn't ok. Genevieve rarely needed to be coddled. He knew just enough about her father to understand that she had reason to be uncomfortable. He wasn't sure how Cole had met Beckett, but he had a feeling Cole's bad boy image filled whatever need she had at the time, back before she even entertained the notion of settling down. He was a mechanic with a love of motorcycles and driving fast. Their break up was cased by Beckett's intolerance to his partying habits. But when she found out she was pregnant she couldn't deny her child a father. Cole came and went and each time he came back in worse shape. Beckett was awarded full custody and allowed Cole to have supervised visits once a month. That being said, this encounter in the park went against their agreement and would more than likely have to be reported. Castle thought about calling his fiancée, but he didn't want to ruin her day with Lanie. It would be of no consequence if he told her about it at home that evening.

She rested her head on his shoulder as they exited the park, gripping his shirt tighter than normal. His car service was waiting at the curb. He set her on the seat and she slid over to let him in.

"Where are we going now?" she wondered.

"Well, I know you finished "A Kiss in Time" last night," he pointed out, mentioning the last Alex Flinn Novel she finished.

"How did you know?" she gasped.

"Because I caught you under the blanket with a flashlight after lights out last night. I knew you wouldn't push the rules if you weren't really close to the end," he laughed.

"And you didn't rat me out to Mom?" she stated in disbelief.

"You know our rule about secrets," he said with a pointed look.

"Yeah, you only tell mom if you think she needs to know," Gen recited.

"Exactly, plus it wasn't a school night, so no harm done. But anyway, I have a surprise for you waiting at the bookstore. I wasn't going to pick it up until tomorrow, but since we are out, I figured why not," he shrugged. Genevieve smiled the first real smile since their encounter with Cole. "But since your mom will kill me for buying you something with out just cause, can you tell me what happened back there with your dad?" he asked. Gen sunk further into the plush leather seat.

"He just…I don't know…makes me uncomfortable," she admitted.

"Sweetheart, why didn't you tell us? You know you don't have to go see him," Castle mentioned.

"I know, but how bad is that? I don't even want to go see my own dad," she responded, grimly. Castle scooped her against her side.

"Well, no one should have to spend time in an uncomfortable situation, family or not. You know if you were uncomfortable around me, your mom and I would have stopped seeing each other immediately," he stated.

"But I'm not uncomfortable around you, Rick," she said, looking up at him and locking her arms around his bicep. "I would rather be with you than with my dad," she sighed. Castle rested his cheek against the top of her head. Her comment was bittersweet. "When I was little, I was excited to see him, because I really didn't know better and he was my dad. But then when I got older, I figured out he was missing meetings and when he did show up, he was just really creepy," she continued. Castle was surprised he got so much out of the girl, basically unprompted. He released a long slow breath. He and Beckett would be having a long talk.

"That's tough, kid. At least my dad was never around to begin with," he commented.

"Did you have any kind of dad, like maybe a stepdad or cool uncles like Javi and Kevin?" she asked curiously.

"Nope, it was just Martha and I, but we did ok," he smiled.

"Well, I'm glad I have you," she disclosed.

"Oh, I'm glad I have to too sweetie," he said, stroking her hair. It was only a few more minutes before they pulled up at the bookstore and picked up a personalized signed copy of Alex Flinn's book "Cloaked". He thought Genevieve was going to pass out as soon as she opened the cover and saw the signature. Beckett didn't like it when he spoiled Gen, but after the weird moment at the park, she deserved a little spoiling.


	2. Chapter 2

Castle was in the kitchen when Beckett got home. He and Genevieve had just finished dinner and he was doing the dishes. Beckett called a couple hours earlier to say she and Lanie were going to grab some food before calling it a night. She had at least a half a dozen bags, but before he could entertain the idea of helping her, she set all of them in the odd shaped chair next to the door.

"I hate that chair," she mentioned for the millionth time since she moved in.

"Doesn't stop you from putting your stuff in it," he teased, but his smile wasn't quite genuine and his eyes didn't sparkle like they usually did when he was being playful. He placed a hand on her hip and gave her a quick kiss and a soft hello.

"Where's Gen?" Beckett wondered.

"In her room, reading," Castle provided.

"I thought she finished her book last night," she said with an arch of an eyebrow.

"I bought her a new one," he shrugged.

"I thought we talked about this," she frowned.

"It's one book, Kate. The girl is reading us out of house and home. I have caught her trying to steal the Derrick Storm books out of my office. Do you really want her reading those?" he snapped, starting to wipe down the counter.

"No, I guess not," she mumbled, eyeing him, trying to read his body language. There was something wrong. "Rick," she started softly, running her fingers across his soft black sweater. "What's going on?" she asked. He dropped the towel and ran his hand through his hair.

"I need to talk to you," he sighed. She could tell by his tone that he really didn't want to tell her what he had to say. Her stomach dropped. She loved him fiercely, but between the cop in her and a history that told her all too well how unfair life could be, she had always, in the back of her mind, been waiting for the other shoe to drop. Richard Castle wasn't exactly an angel when it came to his past relationships. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying not to think about catastrophic effect his leaving would have on her life.

"Is…" she cleared her throat. "Is it about the wedding?" she wondered, meekly. Castle's eyes widened. He suddenly realized the implication of his last statement. He took two steps in her direction and pulled her into his arms.

"No, not at all. Katherine Beckett, I love you and I cannot wait to marry you," he assured her. She sagged against him in relief.

"Ok, so then what do you need to talk about? It's obviously bothering you," she pressed. Castle stepped away from her and leaned against the counter.

"Gen and I went to Central Park today and we ran into Cole. Let me tell you what a fine upstanding gent he is," he started, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Like all of your past relationships were with Mensa candidates," she retorted defensively. He threw his hands up, a sign he was backing off. "What happened with Cole? He is not supposed to see her without a social worker present," she continued.

"I know that, but I couldn't exactly stop the encounter. And trust me, by the way it shook up Genevieve, I would have loved to prevent it. He came out of nowhere and tried to get her to leave with him, and kept asking about you. As we walked away he gave us Gen this really creepy smile. Real slime ball," he informed.

"Castle, one more comment about how sleazy Cole is and this gets really ugly," she warned. She was trying to process all the information he just gave her. She knew it would only be a matter of time before Cole became a problem. He was unstable and still liked to play hard and alcohol seemed to be is current drug of choice. The supervised visits never sat well with him and the sad part was it wasn't because he wanted to spend time with his daughter; it was because he had lost the control.

"I'm sorry," he breathed.

"I know, I just don't like to think about how much of a mistake Cole was because that's how I got Genevieve and Genevieve is amazing," she said with the hint of a smile.

"That she is, and she continues to show me that everyday," he smiled. "All the more reason you need to go talk to her about Cole. She told me he makes her uncomfortable, but she didn't say anything because she felt bad for not wanting to see her dad," he added. Beckett sighed. Castle pulled her into another hug.

"Will you come with me?" she requested.

"Of course," he said with out hesitation. He threaded his fingers through hers and led her towards the stairs.

* * *

Genevieve looked up as she heard the door open. She was in the middle of her bed, with her new book open to her right and papers spread out all around.

"Hey girlie," Beckett greeted.

"Hey mom, when did you get home?" Gen wondered.

"Just a few minutes ago. Is this the new book Rick bought you?" she smiled.

"Yeah, it's signed!" the girl beamed, shoving the book into her mother's hand. Beckett traced her finger over the signature. A warm feeling settled over her. She knew just how much it meant to have a book signed by your favorite author. She quickly glanced at Castle, remembering the first book he signed for her, many many years ago.

"What are you up to?" Beckett wondered.

"Well, I was reading, but I decided to try my writing homework again. Will you look at it for me, Rick?" Genevieve rambled.

"Of course, I'll look at it before bedtime," he replied with a soft nod. "But first Mom and I need to talk to you," he added, leaning back against her desk. The smile dropped from Genevieve's face.

"Am I in trouble?" she asked solemnly.

"No honey, I just want to know what happened in the park today," Beckett responded.

"Oh, you want to talk about Dad," Gen realized, shooting a glare at Castle.

"Don't give me that look, you know the secret rule," he chided. Genevieve sighed, he made a valid point. Beckett glanced between the two, ignorant to this "secret rule". She moved past it.

"So what happened?" Beckett wondered.

"I went to get napkin and there he was. He tried to get me go with him, saying since he missed our last meeting he should get to spend some time with me. I told him I was with Rick so I couldn't leave, but he wouldn't let me go until Rick came over. Then at the end he said he'd see me soon," the child explained. Beckett nodded as she absorbed the information.

"Well maybe he meant at the next meeting," Beckett provided, not really believing it herself. Her cop instincts told her something was up. She knew there was no way Cole could have known Castle and Gen were going to be at the park, but it didn't mean he didn't see the chance encounter as an opportunity to start some trouble.

"Yeah maybe," Gen replied, obviously not believing her mother either.

"Rick said he made you uncomfortable," Beckett prodded. A guilty look covered her daughter's face. She stood from the bed and started to pace.

"Well, sorta. I think he was drunk at the last few meetings and he always smells bad. And when I talk to him, I don't think he really cares what I have to say. I'm not sure he really listens. He sits there for about ten minutes and then says he loves me but he's got to go. And he always tells me that he doesn't need a babysitter to see his kid and he'll change your mind, but it's so creepy when he says it," Genevieve explained, shivering for extra effect. Beckett wasn't sure how to respond at first, she looked around the room to gather her thoughts. Gen fidgeted in the silence, and began to speak again, "Mom, I'm really sorry. I know I should have told you, but then I thought you would stop the meetings and even though I didn't want to go to the meetings, I thought you would be disappointed that I didn't want to see my dad. I mean he is my dad, and aren't you supposed to love them no matter what, even if they mess up? Like the way you love me?" Castle stuck out an arm and stopped the girl from pacing. She was going to walk right through the floor at the rate she was going. He pulled her towards his chest and hooked his arm around her shoulders.

"Hey, it's ok Gen," he whispered. Beckett stepped forward and set her hands on Genevieve's cheeks.

"You listen to me sweetheart; I will never force you into anything that makes you uncomfortable. It doesn't matter to me if it has to do with a stranger on the sidewalk, or your dad. And you should not feel bad about not wanting to see him. It's his job, as your dad to make sure you are ok and he is not doing that. This is all his fault, Gen, not yours. And I am really sorry about the alcohol. He shouldn't be drinking before the meetings and I can make sure he won't get to see you if he has, or we can stop the meetings all together. It's up to you," she laid out.

"This is so hard!" Gen yelled, obviously frustrated. She threaded her hands through her hair and tugged hard. Castle grabbed her wrists and untangled her fingers from the strands. He didn't want her to pull all that pretty hair out. She slumped back against him.

"We don't have to worry about it right now. If you want to go to the next meeting you can and if you don't you don't have to," Beckett replied easily.

"Why can't Rick be my dad?" Genevieve mumbled, leaning her cheek against his arm. Beckett smiled as she saw Rick's face light up.

"Rick is pretty great, isn't he?" Beckett sighed, her eyes shifting from her daughter's nodding head to her fiancé's face. A goofy grin graced his features, painting his face with love and warmth with just a hint of cockiness. He knew he was great, but didn't admit it as much as he used to.

"Well angel, I can tell you something that is really simple," Castle started. Gen tilted her head to look at him. "No matter what, I am here. I am all yours," he repeated for the millionth time.

"And Mom's," Gen reminded.

"And Mom's" Castle agreed.

"And Alexis's" she added.

"And Alexis's" he continued.

"And Martha's" she finished.

"And Martha's" Castle chuckled. "Wow, I am quite the lady's man," he mused. Beckett rolled her eyes.

"Some things never change," Beckett commented. Castle narrowed his eyes at her. "Gen, I want you to shower and get ready for bed, then you and Rick can work on your homework," she instructed.

"But Mom, it's early," Genevieve whined.

"I know, but sometimes you guys get carried away and I don't want you up late or going to school tomorrow with out a shower," Beckett explained. Gen pouted, crossing her arms across her chest. "Sorry, Gen," she added before turning to leave.

"Don't worry, while you do that, I'll make sundaes," Castle whispered. The child's pout lifted instantly and she moved towards her dresser to grab her PJs.

"I heard that," Beckett called from the hallway.

"What? We haven't had dessert and no dinner is complete without dessert!" Castle replied, rushing out after her.

"I have no doubt that is your philosophy," Beckett chuckled as they started down the stairs. "Especially in the last few years," she added, almost under her breath.

"Hey! What is that supposed to mean?" he objected. Beckett arched and eyebrow and pointed to the framed press release of his first book.

"That tall lanky man is not standing in front of me," she teased. His mouth dropped open.

"But Kate, that was fifteen years ago! There is no way I would look like that now…oh. That didn't come out right," he finished with the hint of a blush.

"Yeah, I just said you weren't lanky, you went and called yourself old," she laughed. He frowned, his face turning contemplative before he wandered to the kitchen, not really sure he wanted a sundae anymore. "Oh Rick, come on, I was only kidding," she stated, with less humor than before.

"I know," he replied with a soft smile. "Sorry sweetheart, it's been a long day," he continued, giving her a quick kiss.

"So what is this secret rule?" Beckett changed the subject.

"I can't tell you," he said bluntly, pulling the ice cream out of the freezer.

"What? Why not?" Beckett gasped.

"By telling you the secret rule, I would violate the secret rule," he shrugged. Beckett slid her arms up his chest and pressed a hot open mouth kiss to the column of his throat.

"You know you want to tell me," she breathed. And boy did he, but he couldn't.

"Sorry Kate, I can't," he rasped.

"Oh fine, you're no fun. I'll get it out of Gen," she decided.

"And what makes you think Gen will tell you?" he laughed.

"She is my child, if my interrogation skills don't work, I can always guilt it out of her," Beckett said matter of factly. Castle gave her a look that said 'good luck'. Both of their heads snapped up at they heard Genevieve start down the stairs.

"Hey kid, you ready to look at that homework?" Castle greeted. Genevieve nodded and took a seat at the counter. Castle moved around the kitchen, throwing together two sundaes with practiced perfection. "You want one, Mom?" he asked Beckett.

"Why not," she smiled, sitting next to her daughter. With a quick nod, he filled one more bowl.

"Ok Gen, let's see what you are working on," he started, leaning on the counter. He quickly scanned the document she slid in front of him, laying out the assignment. "So you just have to create three characters, right?" he surmised, pointing at the words with his pinky.

"Yeah, and here is what I did first, before you told me your trick," she added, handing him three more pages. Castle flipped through the pages, reading the three character profiles.

"Gen, you have great physical descriptions here, but…" he started but was interrupted.

"Wait, wait, I said that was before, I wrote new ones," Genevieve defended.

"ok, ok, let me see the new ones," he chuckled, taking a large spoonful of his sundae. "Genevieve, these are great," he praised. He flipped back and forth between the first drafts and the second. "Wow you did all of this with my trick?" he checked, amazed by the quality of work. Gen nodded. He looked at one of the characters again. "Tell me the story about this one, McCanna Alexander. What a great name," he urged, just wanting to see how her mind worked. He shot a quick look in Beckett's direction, telling her this was going to be good. Genevieve made the same face she made at the park, eyes on the ceiling, tongue sticking out, recalling her story.

"McCanna 'Mac' Alexander had been in the studio all morning. His turns just didn't feel right and he wanted them perfect. Just because he didn't perform anymore, didn't mean he could quit practicing. What kind of teacher encourages practice and then doesn't practice himself? He looked through the mirror at the clock on the wall. It was time for lunch with his mother and then off to a meeting about the dance company's finances. He was still trying to get his footing as partner. He hoped the meeting wouldn't take too long being as he had classes all afternoon. He changed out of his sweats and into crisp dress pants and a sweater. He quickly fixed his hair in the mirror and left for the restaurant. On his way out he ran into his best friend, and confirmed plans for the evening," she told. Beckett's eyes widened. Genevieve told a story just as good as Castle did.

"So he's a dancer," Castle started.

"Yes, so that makes him artistic, athletic and creative," Genevieve pointed out.

"And he is a teacher so he is patient and caring," he countered.

"All of the practice makes him a perfectionist and disciplined, and ambitious, just like Jane," Gen commented with a smile.

Castle smiled before continuing, "he is close to his mother so family means a lot to him and he is obviously smart, wealthy and educated to be a partner in the company."

"And he cares about his looks, since he likes to dress nice and fixed his hair. Also he has friends and likes to hang out, so he is social," the girl rattled off.

"You are really good at this, and you left yourself a great place to build from with that comment about him not performing anymore. Good job," he complimented. Beckett couldn't help but smile at the interaction between the two. Genevieve met Castle at every turn, they truly had a strong connection and Beckett couldn't be happier about it. Gen had always kind of kept to herself, but it wasn't because she was shy. It was more so that she had never found anyone interested in what she had to say. Castle was certainly interested and Genevieve had no problem sharing with him. And sharing with him, led to her branching out at school and now had a group of close friends that hung out every time they had the chance. She was even going so far as to try out for the soccer team. She had always enjoyed the sport but was never interested in playing with a team for a whole season, but that changed as her friends began to show interest in the sport as well. Beckett liked watching her child blossom in front of her. It made her realize Castle has brought stability to their life that they both needed.

"That was really good Gen, Rick taught you that?" Beckett wondered.

"Well he told me that if I have trouble creating characters, it helps to write a little sneak peek to see what they are like," Genevieve shrugged.

"We tried it earlier today and she did a great job picking out the personality traits and even taking it a set further to explain why the character did what she did, it was really impressive," Castle interjected.

"Wow, that's great," Beckett smiled.

"Thanks Mom," Genevieve beamed, hopping down from her stool and gathering the three bowls and taking them to the sink. "Can I go read until bed?" she wondered as she ran the water to rinse the bowls before she put them in the dishwasher.

"Of course," Beckett allowed. Genevieve shut the dishwasher and made her way back up the stairs.

"She's got a gift, Kate," Castle mentioned.

"Of course she does, she's my child," she teased, leaning on the counter. Castle gave her a look and leaned in so they were nose to nose.

"Well besides the Beckett gift, she has a writing gift as well," he corrected, giving her a quick kiss.

"It sure seems like it, if that little show you two just put on is any indication," Beckett agreed.

"If I had a brain like hers, I would have written my first best seller in high school," Castle pointed out.

"Just what I need, another writer," she sighed, jokingly.

"Hey, that's all on you, she was like that before I got to her," he laughed.

"Oh that's right you are only responsible for the Richard Castle t-shirt and the Chuck Taylor's," Beckett grinned.

"First off, she found the shirt on her own, I just let her keep it. And secondly, you told me to take her shoe shopping. It's not my fault she fell head over heels in love with that particular type. I just paid for them," he defended himself. Beckett rolled her eyes.

"Well, I have some wedding stuff to get done, what are you up to?" she asked as he wiped down the counter again. She moved off the stool to get out of his way.

"Gina is out for a chapter, so I guess I should try to get one done," he shrugged.

"Is it going to be a late night?" she wondered. He scrubbed a hand over his face.

"Probably not, I'm exhausted," he sighed. Beckett could tell, his body language screamed it. Between writing, teaching his class and helping with cases, he was running all the time. There were days he would go from an early morning body drop, straight to teaching, back to the precinct and finally home for a couple hours of writing. That didn't even include the time he spent with Genevieve, which there was a lot of and Beckett was grateful.

"Maybe you should take the night off?" she suggested, wrapping her arms around him.

"Nah, we're getting married in a few weeks, and then I will get two whole weeks of nights off for our honeymoon. I want to get as much done as I can between now and then," he declined.

"Ok, well, don't force it," Beckett advised.

"I won't" he promised, kissing her nose and turning towards his office.

* * *

About the time he heard Beckett climb the stairs to tell Genevieve it was time for lights out, Castle gave up writing. He had made some progress, not as much as he would have liked to, but he was willing to settle. His eyes burned with exhaustion. He thought back on his day. He graded papers in the morning, took Gen to the park, made lunch, cleaned to loft so Beckett wouldn't have to, made dinner, and talked with Genevieve and helped her with her homework. He knew the encounter at the park and the talk with Gen were weighing on him. He had seen her upset before, sad, angry and hurt, but this was different. She was scared. And he couldn't take her fear away. The best he could do was let her know she was safe and he wasn't going to let anything happen to her. He sighed heavily and closed his laptop.

"You ok?" Beckett's voice asked from the doorway.

"What? Oh, yeah," he responded.

"Liar," she smiled.

"I'm just tried," he covered. She was worried enough for the both of them, he didn't need to add to her burden.

"Well, then let's get you to bed," she urged, coming into the room and offering him her hand. "After you say goodnight to Gen," she added quickly. He nodded and moved out of his office. When he returned to the bedroom, they went about their usual routine. He changed out of his clothes while she brushed her teeth, then they switched and met in bed. When Beckett got in bed, Castle scooped her towards him, spooning behind her. He could practically hear her mind churning.

"Kate, you ok?" he asked tentatively. She moved so she was on her back, looking up at him.

"I'm scared, Rick," she admitted. Castle studied her face, seeing the same look he saw on Genevieve's face hours earlier and he didn't like it. "I just have a bad feeling. I think we are on the verge of a parental abduction," she continued.

"You really think Cole would take her?" he asked gently.

"If he had the opportunity, yes and it wouldn't be because he wanted Gen, it would be because he wanted control," she sighed.

"Well, then we just don't give him the opportunity," Castle stated simply.

"You say that like it's the easiest thing in the world," she replied, frustrated.

"I know it's not, but Katherine Beckett, you are the best cop I know and the two detectives you work with are right there with you and would die before letting something happen to Genevieve. Between that and me being a multimillionaire with all kinds of useful connections, no one is going to get within fifteen feet of our girl and us not know it," he said, his voice full on conviction. Beckett nodded slowly, realizing he was right. "I will follow her around myself if I have to," he added with a chuckle.

"She's lucky to have you, you know?" she smiled.

"I'm lucky to have her," he countered.

"I guess we're all just lucky to have each other," she concluded.

"I'd say that's fair," he agreed, leaning down to give her a quick kiss.

"I saw your face light up when she said she wanted you to be her dad," she informed, watching a blush creep into his cheeks. "You would like that, wouldn't you?" she checked.

"If the situation was right, I mean if there is still a chance Cole could step up and actually act like a father, I don't want to keep her from that. But I wouldn't mind claiming her for my own," he finished with a laugh.

"You are so good with her and if Alexis is anything to go by, you do a good job of raising kids. I'm glad you're helping to raise mine, even if you are nothing more than her stepdad," Beckett replied. Castle smiled and kissed her again. He pulled away and quickly turned his head, trying not to yawn in her face. "You need sleep," she chuckled.

"Apparently," he yawned again. "Are you going to be able to sleep?" he wondered, knowing she was restless when she worried.

"I should be ok, all that shopping with Lanie wore me out," she said, rolling back over. Castle tightened his hold on her and pressed a kiss onto the bare skin of her shoulder.

"Love you," he murmured.

"Love you too," she breathed.

* * *

Castle stared at the ceiling for a moment, trying to figure out why he was awake. He could tell it was still dark outside and if he had to guess it was somewhere between four and five. There was no need for him to be up at his hour. He pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes, wracking his brain for the reason. The only thing he could come up with was Genevieve. His spidey sense was telling him to check on her. The same spidey sense that told him when to call Alexis. He was a slave to it, so he climbed out of bed. At the door he took a quick glance back at Beckett. She was buried under the blankets, sleeping soundly. Satisfied he hadn't disturbed her, he padded out of the room and through his office into the open area of the loft.

He was not expecting to find Genevieve in the kitchen, sitting at the counter eating out of the one of the two bowls in front of her.

"It's early kid, what are you doing up?" he asked, his voice cracking with fatigue.

"Making you breakfast," she stated, using one finger to push his bowl towards him. He stared down into the cereal for a moment before climbing onto the stool next to Genevieve.

"Thanks sweetheart," he mumbled, kissing her hair. He grabbed his spoon and the two ate in silence for a few moments. "Just curious, how did you know I'd be up?" Castle asked finally.

"Don't know. Just had a feeling," Gen shrugged.

"Ah, spidey sense," he replied with a nod, turning his attention back to his cereal.

"Rick, is Mom mad at me?" Genevieve asked so quietly Castle almost missed it.

"What? Honey, no. Why would you think that?" he inquired, pushing his now empty bowl away and turning to look at her.

"I don't know. I just thought maybe since I didn't tell her Dad was making me uncomfortable, she would be mad," she replied slowly.

"Genevieve, look at me," he requested. "Nothing that happened yesterday was your fault. You are not in trouble. You know that, right?" he started.

"I guess so," Gen nodded.

"We didn't come to your room to lecture you. We just love you so much and we want what is best for you," Castle continued. Genevieve nodded again. "And we have to consider that your dad may not be good for you. I know he upset you yesterday and we don't want that. Nor do we want you to be uncomfortable when you do see him. But at the same time, we don't want to take your dad away from you," he finished, confusing even himself. "Did that make any sense?" he chuckled.

"Not really," she admitted.

"You're having trouble deciding if you want to see your dad again, right?" he questioned.

"Right," she agreed.

"Well your mom and I are having trouble deciding if your dad should see you again," he explained.

"oh, ok, what happens if you don't think he should, but I want to see him?" she wondered.

"Well, we would let you see him. We just want you to be happy, comfortable and safe, sweetheart," he answered with a smile, but Genevieve didn't return the gesture.

"What if he just shows up again and tries to get me to go with him and you aren't there to stop him?" she asked, her face taking on the same scared expression she had the previous day.

"Well, we won't let that happen, I promise," he responded, confidently. Genevieve looked at him for a moment before leaning over and kissing him on the cheek, something he was sure she picked up from Alexis.

"Thanks Rick," she smiled.

"Always," he returned. "Now, we still have a few more hours before we have to be at school, and I could use a little more shut eye," he mentioned with a yawn.

"Ok, I think I am going to read, is that ok?" she checked.

"Of course, you have to be about finished with that book," he laughed.

"It's really good," she beamed.

"Ok kid, I am going back to bed, I will see you in a couple hours," he finished, stroking her hair as he walked away.

He slid in bed behind Beckett and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Rick?" she said through the fog of sleep.

"Yeah, who else climbs into bed with you at five in the morning?" he laughed.

"My other fiancé, you just missed him," she teased.

"Very funny, Kate," he deadpanned.

"Well if you keep leaving in the middle of the night, I am going to have to find someone else to keep the bed warm," she warned, jokingly, scooting deeper into his hold. "Where were you anyway? I thought you went to the bathroom, but that was one hell of a pee break," she wondered.

"I was having breakfast," he yawned.

"At the crack of dawn?" Castle smiled at that. He could picture the face she was making if he could see her in the dark room.

"Don't blame me, she's your kid," he laughed, burying his face in her neck. Kate laughed. Genevieve had been on cop's hours all of her life. She was always early to bed, early to rise.

* * *

**I already have a follow up piece to this one in the works, and I plan to continue with the series. I really want it to focus on Castle taking on the role of Genevieve's father figure, even if he isn't her dad. So any suggestions on father/ daughter moments you would like to see, Alexis included, PLEASE LET ME KNOW~ :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A couple weeks later:**

Beckett was curled into the corner of the couch with Genevieve tucked into her side, fast asleep. It had been a long day and tomorrow would be an even longer one. They had a final dress fitting, manicures and pedicures, and then of course the rehearsal dinner. Tomorrow was the big day. She would marry Richard Castle. She sighed happily at that thought.

She closed her eyes and took in the silence of the moment. The past few weeks had been stressful. Between wedding preparations and worrying about Cole showing up again, Beckett was exhausted. Cole had not made an appearance since the day at the park, but he started to call regularly, like he hadn't done in years. This gave Beckett a sick feeling he had something more sinister in the works. Since the day at the park, Genevieve had not spent a second alone. Castle took her to and from school, Beckett was with her in the evenings and on weekends and if neither of them were available, Ryan or Esposito took on the task. No one said it out loud, but the situation was grating everyone's nerves. Beckett wanted her daughter safe. Castle wished there was more he could do and Ryan and Esposito just wanted this guy to go away. It was the worst for Genevieve. She never got a moment to herself and was forced to decline outings with her friends. She always lied and told them she was busy with the wedding. It was a lot for the twelve year old to process and handle. Beckett looked at the sleeping child. She didn't know how much more Gen could take before she broke. She hoped the wedding would be a nice relief. A fun night where Genevieve got to act like a normal twelve year old. Well as normal as a twelve year old would act when her mom married a multimillionaire crime novelist at a wedding that was rumored to be the social event of the season, if you were lucky enough to get an invitation. However, Beckett made sure only a select seventy five people got invitations and they planned to keep it that way. That reminded her; she had a meeting with the security company first thing in the morning. Beckett pulled out of her musing when Alexis pressed a warm cup of hot chocolate into her hands. She smiled up at the redhead.

"Thanks," she added softly.

"I made one for Gen too, but I guess she is down for the count," Alexis chuckled.

"Yeah, I imagine she won't surface again until morning," Beckett replied, stroking her daughter's hair. Alexis took a seat near Genevieve's feet. "That's for you," Beckett mentioned, gesturing to the package on the coffee table.

"Oh, thanks," Alexis blushed, looking so much like her father.

"It's from me and Gen. Everybody else is getting a ring out of this deal and we didn't want you to feel left out," Beckett mentioned. Alexis carefully ripped through the wrapping to find a picture frame and a slender jewelry box. Inside the box was a necklace with three charms on it. She ran her finger over each one. A book for her dad, a badge for Kate, and what appeared to be a Chuck Taylor for Gen. The girl was never caught without them. Her eyes shifted to the picture frame. It said Sisters and had a picture of her and Gen from the Hampton's the previous summer.

"Thank you, Kate!" Alexis beamed, getting up from the couch so she could hug Beckett without disturbing Genevieve.

"Well thank you, for everything Alexis. Especially all of the extra time you've spent here the last few weeks. Having Gen on what your dad calls 'house arrest' has been tough, but with you here at least she didn't feel like she was stuck with 'old' people the whole time," Beckett smiled.

"It's no problem. You guys are family. Plus, I am a veteran of Castle house arrest. I know it is both brutal and necessary," she finished with a laugh.

"That is very true, hopefully it won't last much longer," Beckett replied with a grim smile. "But tomorrow is going to be fun, for all of us," she added, her expression brightening.

"It really is," Alexis broke into a yawn. "But I think I am going to try to get some sleep, I'll see you in the morning," she finished, with a deep stretch.

"Ok, goodnight Alexis," Beckett replied. As soon as the girl was up the stairs, Beckett fished her phone and dialed his number.

"You should be in bed," he chastised when he answered.

"So should you," she countered.

"I am in bed, my girlfriend just left," he teased.

"Not funny, Rick," she replied flatly.

"I know, I know. All of my girls are with you, except my mother who flies in tomorrow morning," Castle mentioned. His mother had taken to traveling over the past few months. "How are you?" he asked.

"Tired, excited, worried," she rattled off. He understood the tired, loved the excited, but hated the worried.

"What are you worried about?" he wondered. "Me? Because I really didn't have a girl here, I was totally kidding," he added quickly.

"No not you, you're great. It's just…we're going to be so exposed. The wedding is so public. It's going to make us a target for anything, not just Cole," she sighed.

"We can call it off and go to the court house," he offered.

"Rick, I don't want that," she huffed.

"Well, Kate sweetheart, I just want you and I want you happy so I will do whatever it takes," he laid out.

"Will you just go over it with me, one more time," she asked meekly.

"I will go over it with you a million more times if you need me to," he promised. "So tomorrow, you are going to wake up and stumble to the coffee machine. Then you will walk upstairs and wake up that beautiful daughter of yours. She'll beg you for five more minutes and because you are the best mom ever, you will let her have them. Actually you will give her the better part of an hour. Just enough time for you to shower and read another chapter in that book you have been so invested in this last week. Then you will find Alexis and get Gen through the shower before the three of you take the car service to the venue and put on some of the prettiest dresses in all of New York. I haven't seen them, but I know they are the prettiest because you three will be wearing them. I will wake up tomorrow and stare at my computer screen trying to finish that chapter Gina wanted on Monday, but when I deem that unproductive I will go shower. Then I will go to the venue and put on my tux. Once dressed I will probably get some kind of pep talk from Ryan, Esposito, and of course your father and I will make my way to the front of the crowd. And I will stand there waiting and more than likely my tie will be crooked. But none of that will matter once the music starts and Gen comes down the aisle in her dress and her chucks because let's face it, neither of us have the heart to tell her she can't wear them. Next will be Alexis looking so grown up that my heart may break and burst with joy at the same time. And then I'll see you and the rest of the world will fade away. Then we'll get married and it will be wonderful, Kate. And I will get all of twenty minutes with my new bride on our way to the reception where we will laugh and dance and share our love with all of our friends," he told. Kate hung on his every word. He painted such a pretty picture and she couldn't help but believe it would all happen just as he said.

"You forgot about my meeting with the security company," she pointed out, giving him a hard time.

"I know, it just didn't fit in my little romantic story, but yes you will meet with the security company and they will tell you the same thing they told me today. They will have a guard for every exit, two guards floating through the crowd and a check in station at the front entrance," he rattled off.

"Do you think that is enough, Rick?" she questioned.

"That is a team of ten guards, not to mention almost everyone on your half of the guest list carries a gun and a badge. I'm sure it will be plenty," he chuckled.

"You make a good point," she laughed to, realizing she was being silly.

"Do you feel better now?" he checked.

"Yeah, thanks Rick," he could hear her smile through the phone.

"Always," he breathed.

"Oh, hold on a sec," Beckett said quickly as a rustling started in the background.

"Is that Rick?" Genevieve asked groggily.

"It sure is, sweetheart. Did you want to talk to him?" Beckett offered softly. The child nodded and took the phone from her mom.

"Hi Rick," Genevieve mumbled

"Hey kid, were you sleeping?" he greeted.

"I think so," Gen replied, rubbing her eyes with one fist and sitting up. "I miss you," she admitted.

"I miss you too, but it's only for one night. You'll get to see me tomorrow," he promised.

"I can't wait," the last word was swallowed by a yawn.

"I can't wait either, but you should get back to sleep. I love you," he replied.

"Love you too," Gen finished. Castle heard Beckett send her off to bed and tell her she would be up in a minute to tuck her in.

"Rick?" Beckett checked to make sure he was still on the line.

"Yes sweetheart," he answered.

"I love you," she stated bluntly.

"I love you too," he replied warmly. "Now get some sleep, I will see you tomorrow," he urged.

"Goodnight Rick," she responded.

"Goodnight sweetheart," he ended the call.


	4. Chapter 4

Castle played a game on his phone as he sat in the chair in the front row, looking at the altar. There was no one else around. The wedding party was spread throughout various rooms, adding the finishing touches before the ceremony. He looked up from his game briefly, looking around, wondering where Beckett was. In which room, was she putting on that fancy dress and trying to keep Genevieve from bouncing off the walls. Before he could get back to his game, someone called his name. He sighed; he knew they would come looking for him sooner or later. He just wanted to be alone. All of their nervousness about the wedding was making him anxious. And he had enough to deal with; this was his big day after all. Well it was Beckett's, but he was the groom, so that had to count for something.

"Richard!" the voice called again. It was his mother. He didn't know she had arrived from the airport yet.

"Hello Mother," he greeted with a smile, getting up from his chair and meeting her halfway down the aisle.

"Look at you, all dressed up for another wedding," she grinned, brushing some lent off his tux.

"My last," he said with an edge of seriousness to his tone.

"I know darling, Kate and Genevieve are wonderful," she smiled proudly. Her son smiled too, but she noticed something was not quite right. "Is something wrong, Richard?" she wondered.

"No Mother, everything is fine," he assured her. "I'm just hoping we all make it through this day," he admitted.

"You aren't thinking of backing out, are you Richard?" she gasped.

"Never, I could never do that to Kate and Gen, nor would I want to. We've just had a rough couple weeks. We're ready to be married and be a family," he explained albeit vaguely.

"Soon enough kiddo, soon enough," Martha replied, patting his shoulder. Castle smiled and sighed heavily. "Well it is almost show time and I need to make sure I look fabulous," she mentioned, looking around for the closest room with a mirror.

"You look wonderful mother, but go," he laughed.

Beckett stared down the aisle at her future husband. He looked more nervous that she had ever seen him, and that brought a smile to her face. It was nice to see him off kilter; it showed just how important this was to him. Her smile widened as Genevieve started down the aisle in her green dress and just like Rick predicted, her Chuck's. She had bought the girl a pair of strappy sandals, but when it came down to it, she let her wear the sneakers. She wanted Genevieve to be herself at the wedding and the girl couldn't do that without the right shoes. Next Alexis went, bringing a tear to her father's eye. And finally it was Beckett's turn. When she got to the altar, the two just stared at each other for moment. Taking it all in. Beckett smirked when she noticed his tie.

"You were right, your tie is crooked," she chuckled nervously.

"Well, I didn't want to disappoint you," he smiled. She reached up to fix the accessory before dropping her hands into his. The rest of the ceremony went swimmingly. After both of their left hands were clad with wedding bands and they shared a chaste kiss, Castle scooped Genevieve up with one arm and Beckett wrapped an arm around Alexis's shoulder as they all walked back down the aisle.

Castle danced with his new bride late in the evening. The party was in full swing. All of the toasts had been given, dinner had been served, cake had been cut, traditions had been made and everyone was enjoying themselves. The couple slowed their movements to watch Genevieve spin around with Alexis.

"Rick, I love you," Beckett whispered, removing her hand from his and sliding it up around his neck.

"I love you too, Kate," he smiled, dipping his head to kiss her for the millionth time that day. She brought herself closer to him, placing her head against his chest. Castle rested his cheek against her hair and let his eyes fall closed, this moment felt like heaven. They swayed together like that for the entire next song. Their moment was shattered by someone tapping Castle on the shoulder. Castle shifted Beckett to one side and he turned to see who it was. It was one of the security guards. Beckett watched as her husband listened intently to what the man had to say. She couldn't hear what he was saying, but she knew something was wrong when the smile dropped from his face and he began to scan the room.

"Rick, what's going on?" Beckett wondered.

"There was a security breach, and they think it's Cole. He never made it into this room though. Where's Gen?" he finished, still searching the crowd. Beckett looked around, desperately hoping to lay eyes on her daughter. "Wasn't she just here with Alexis?" he added.

"I thought so, there's Alexis," Beckett pointed out. The two rushed towards the young woman frantically asking when Genevieve ran off two. Unfortunately the child had run to the bathroom, out in the lobby. Castle took off at a jog to the closest set of double doors with Beckett hot on his heels. When they got to the door, they could see the whole seen unfolding before them. It was Cole and he had Genevieve by the arm. He was trying to get her to go with him, but she was fighting against him. Castle and Beckett stepped into the lobby just as Cole picked Genevieve up. She was screaming and crying, desperately trying to get away.

"Cole, put her down," Beckett ordered.

"Mom!" Gen screamed.

"Well, well, if it ain't Kate Beckett, or is it Kate Castle now?" Cole sneered, his eyes flicking towards Castle. Castle clenched his fists and straightened to his full height. He was ready to fight if need be. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Esposito walk up beside him. Castle told him to have someone keep an eye on the guests to keep them out of the situation and focused on the party. He didn't know how many people watched the bride and groom run out of the room, but he hoped they would drink more, have another piece of cake and continue to party until Cole was escorted out. It wasn't that Castle thought Cole would hurt someone; it was that the situation was very personal and they didn't need seventy five witnesses. Esposito nodded and walked back into the reception.

"Put her down," Beckett repeated, ignoring his last remark.

"Why Kate, she is my daughter too. I have every right to her, just the same as you," Cole slurred. Beckett wasn't surprised; she could smell the alcohol coming off of him from where she stood nearly ten feet away.

"Cole, you had those rights, but you forfeited them by doing things like this," Beckett reminded.

"Dad, please let me go," Genevieve begged, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"What Geni? You don't like your daddy anymore? Do you like your new daddy better, is that it?" Cole spat, using one had to force Genevieve to look at him.

"Please, just let me go," she sobbed, closing her eyes.

"Fine," Cole decided, dropping his daughter. Genevieve let out a scream as she fell the three feet to the ground, landing on her hands and knees. Castle took two large steps forward and pulled the distraught child into his arms. Genevieve clung to him and buried her face in his neck.

"Rick, get her out of here," Beckett instructed.

"Oh so you do boss him around, just like you did with me," Cole laughed. Castle reached out with his free hand and grabbed a fist full of Cole's shirt, effectively shutting him up, but not wiping the dumbass smile off his face. He had had just about enough. Beckett stepped up and put her hand on her husband's wrist.

"Castle, I've got this, let him go and get Gen away from here," she said, trying to loosen his grip. Castle's eyes didn't leave Cole's face. He was mentally picturing all the things he would like to do to the man. "Rick," she started again, this time there was something in her voice that made him meet her eyes. "I've got this," she repeated, her eyes reassuring him. Castle released Cole was a shove. After watching the man drop Genevieve, Castle was not in the mood to be gentle. Due to Cole's drunken state, he stumbled backwards and fell to the floor in a heap. Castle shook his head and stormed off to a small dressing room just off the lobby.

Genevieve's body shook with sobs. Castle rubbed slow circles across her back, wishing she would stop crying. He carefully took a seat on the sofa that was at the far end of the room.

"Gen, it's ok. I've got you," he crooned. She sat back in his arms and wiped at her eyes.

"Please don't make me see him again. I don't ever want to see him or talk to him again. I want you to be my dad from now on. Please Rick, I promise I'll be good. I'll keep my room clean and I'll never stay up reading after lights out and I'll get all A's," she rambled, breaking Castle's heart with the desperation in her voice.

"Oh sweetheart," he sighed, pulling back to his chest, toying with her hair.

"Please Rick, can you be my dad now?" she mumbled against his neck.

"We'll talk about it, honey," he replied softly. The moment was somewhat bittersweet for him. He wanted more than anything to be her father, but he didn't want to have her experience what just went through to do so.

"Just don't make me see him again," she added, clutching him tighter.

"Mom is getting rid of him, you won't have to see him again," he promised. Castle looked up at the door opened. Beckett stepped in quietly.

"She ok?" she asked.

"She's fine, just scared," he replied. Genevieve looked up as she heard Castle speak to someone else. She turned her head to see who else was in the room.

"Mom!" she squeaked, moving off of Castle's lap and rushing to hug her mother.

"Hey girlie," Beckett greeted, returning the hug. "You ok?" she cheked.

"Is he gone?" Genevieve wondered, her eyes wide.

"Yeah, Javi took him to the police station," Beckett assured her. "Alexis is right outside, can you go hangout with her for a minute while I talk to Rick?" she requested.

"You're sure he's gone?" Gen checked.

"Yes sweetheart, he's gone," Beckett repeated. Genevieve gave her mother another quick hug before doing what she was told.

"I want him gone Kate, I don't want him to see her again," Castle started, standing from the couch.

"It's not that simple," Beckett replied.

"Yes it is Kate; you have his visitation rights revoked. You can't tell me, as her mother you were ok with what just happened out there," he continued, gesturing wildly towards the door.

"Of course I'm not, Rick. But I can't make an emotional decision that could affect my daughter for the rest of her life. Whether you like it or not, he is her father. What would you do if someone tried to take Alexis away from you?"

"No one would try, I don't hurt Alexis!" he raised his voice, pointing at his chest with his left hand. That's when Beckett saw it. His wedding band. She realized what was happening. She was fighting with her husband, not only on their wedding night, but at their reception.

"Rick, I won't do this, not here, not now," she sighed.

"What?" he snapped.

"We aren't going to do this. We are not going to start our life together fighting, I'm sorry," she explained, turning to leave. His shoulders slumped in defeat.

"No, we're not," he responded softly, but she was already out the door. He sighed and sat back down, dropping his head into his hands. He needed a minute. He heard the door open again, but he didn't look up.

"So your wedding ended in an unmitigated disaster, there is promise for this one," Alexis joked.

"No, my other two weddings were unmitigated disasters, this is merely a hiccup," he replied with a grim smile.

"Either way Dad, this is the real deal and you've already managed to piss your wife off," she pointed out, taking a seat next to him.

"I know, but seeing Genevieve upset breaks my heart, same as seeing you upset," he shrugged.

"And seeing Kate upset doesn't bother you?" Alexis challenged with a hint of a smile.

"It does, which is why I am going to apologize," he said quickly, leaning over to kiss his daughter's temple before getting up. Alexis shook her head at her father's retreating form.

Castle found Beckett sitting on one of the benches in the lobby. Genevieve's head was in her lap, and it appeared the girl was nearly asleep.

"I'm sorry," he stated as he stood over them.

"Me too," she replied softly. "I was going to tell you that Esposito booked Cole on a drunk and disorderly and he is in holding for the night," she mentioned. Castle nodded slowly. "Now, it's been a long day, can we go home?" she begged. Castle checked his watch. The reception wasn't supposed to end for another hour or so.

"How about I send you and the girls home, and I'll wrap things up around here and join you when I can?" he suggested, not really liking the idea himself.

"I guess that works. I can't believe I have to go home on my wedding night without my husband," she teased with a smile.

"Only at our wedding," he laughed, leaning down to give her a quick kiss.

"Did I just hear you say you were going home without your husband?" Lanie interjected, coming across the lobby from where a small group of their closest friends, all well versed in the Cole situation, had gathered. Both Castle and Beckett nodded. "Not gonna happen," Lanie insisted. "Say your goodbyes and get out of here," she instructed. "Both of you. We've got this," she finished, gesturing at the group she left behind.

"Thanks Lanie," Beckett smiled.

"No problem girl, you know I have your back," Lanie reminded.

Fifteen minutes later, Castle, Beckett, Alexis and Gen were all loaded into the limo as the music from their reception played on into the night. By the time they reached the loft, Alexis had joined her step sister, sleeping soundly.

"Do you need me to get Gen?" Beckett offered.

"No, I'll wake Alexis," Castle decided. The young woman slowly gave way to consciousness, begrudgingly uncurling from the soft leather seat and climbing out of the limo. Castle set Genevieve on the couch so he could get the rest of the stuff from the car. Alexis lay down next to her step sister and within moments, she was out again.

"I guess we can just leave them there," Beckett chuckled at the two girls, completely dead to the world.

"I don't think it's hurting anybody," Castle shrugged.


	5. Chapter 5

"Come on Rick," Beckett urged, taking his hand a pulling him towards the office. She led him to his chair and gestured for him to sit down. She leaned against his desk and looked at him. Castle put his elbow up on his armrest and rested his cheek against his fist.

"Are you ok?" he asked softly. She had remained stoic through the whole event and had yet to break. He knew it was the cop in her that wouldn't let her drop the mask. She nodded slowly with a soft smile.

"I just have a lot to figure out," she admitted. Castle nodded in understanding and the two stared at each other for another moment.

"Are we ok?" he checked. Their minor altercation was still bugging him. Beckett reached out a hand and ruffled his hair.

"Of course we are Rick, emotions were just running a little high," she mentioned. She kissed him slowly. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," he replied.

"Thank you," she sighed, moving into his lap, burying her face against his neck.

"For loving you?" he asked, moving so he could see her face, arching an eyebrow.

"No, well, yes, but really for caring so much, especially about Gen," she explained.

"Well, I couldn't stop it if I tried," he shrugged. Beckett moved in his lap and reached for his computer. "What are we doing?" he wondered.

"Research," she answered vaguely.

"Any particular type of research?" he asked, hoping she would give him more. When she didn't answer, he relaxed back into the chair. He looked at his wife sitting in his lap, still in her wedding dress, he still in his tux. The wedding was long over and if he was correct about the time, so was the reception, but yet here they were still dressed for the affair. He was honestly surprised they were still dressed at all, none the less still in their formal attire. He certainly had a different plan for their evening, but with Cole's interruption that changed. He decided he needed to let her do what she needed to do to come to terms with the situation. He figured that was what the research was about

Beckett clicked on the folder labeled COLE in the corner of desktop. Castle had complied all the information on the custody agreement and the call logs from the recent weeks just incase they would ever need it. She scrolled through the pages until she found what she was looking for and then opened the web browser. Her first order of duty was to print off the forms she would need to have his visitation rights revoked. She decided, at least for the time being, Cole needed to stay away from Genevieve. He needed to make a lot of changes before he ever got to see his daughter again. She was trying to decide if it was a good idea to completely remove Cole form Genevieve's life and officially introduce Castle as a father figure. She knew her daughter adored Castle, but she didn't know if his adopting her would change their relationship. The last thing she wanted was something to change in Genevieve's life. The poor girl had been through enough. The last year was big enough as it was, adding a new father to the picture may just be more than the twelve year old could handle. She surfed the net, reading through blogs and studies on the subject, trying to figure out what other people did in her situation. She knew she needed to discuss all of this with Castle and Genevieve but she wanted to have her facts straight first. She turned over her shoulder to ask Castle what he thought. However, she found him with his head tilted back against the chair, dead asleep. She chuckled, she was wondering why he'd been so quiet. For a moment she thought about calling it a night, but she had just clicked on to an interesting website and wasn't ready to stop her investigating just yet.

Castle could feel the ache through his hips and his back and up into his shoulders as he slowly lifted his head. He wondered how long he'd been out. Beckett was still on his lap, staring at the computer intently. He rubbed his eyes and groaned, "why are we still awake,"

"You weren't" she remarked, with out pulling her eyes from the screen. He chuckled to himself and gently grasped her waist so he could adjust to sit more comfortably. His office chair was not made for napping. He peered over her shoulder and noticed the time. It had only been about an hour but he was exhausted. He assumed that had something to do with having a wedding, a reception and a near drop down drag out fight with his stepdaughter's father all in the same day.

"You almost done?" he wondered, not even sure what she was looking at. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss onto her bare shoulder.

"Almost," she replied, tilting her head, giving him better access to her neck. He took the hint and continued to kiss a line from her shoulder to her ear.

"Well, your husband is ready to go to bed," he mentioned, squeezing her ribcage. Beckett smiled at the odd sensation the word husband filled her with. She decided it was about time to wrap it up. She bookmarked the page she was on and did one last review of the notes she had complied from her research. "Ok, you're going to have to get up if we're not going to bed. I'm too old to sit like this for too long," he mumbled, shifting again. Whatever she was doing was taking too long.

"You have a real knack for calling yourself old," Beckett laughed, hitting the print button and saving the files.

"Well, sweetheart, as much as I hate to admit it, it's true. I'm completely stiff from the waist down," he mentioned. At that Beckett turned to look at him, raising her eyebrows. Castle's face flushed with color as he realized what he had just said. Well, it wasn't completely untrue, but that really wasn't what he meant.

"I guess we'll have to do something about that, now won't we?" she smirked. Castle liked the sound of that. Beckett stood from his lap and offered a hand to help him up. Once he stood, he pulled into a deep stretch, his body snapping and popping in protest. "That's gross, Rick," she laughed.

"That chair is for sitting, not sleeping," he replied, pointing back at the offending object.

"Then let's go to bed, which is for sleeping," she decided taking her hand. "Even if I don't intend to sleep," she added, just loud enough for him to hear. She squeaked in surprise as Castle scooped her up into his arms.

"Rick, seriously, you don't need to do this," Beckett giggled as her husband carried her over the threshold.

"Oh but I do, Mrs. Castle," Castle grinned, setting her down and kissing her. "I was right you know, this dress looks perfect on you" he commented, a cocky edge his tone.

"Well, this is me we're talking about, why wouldn't I look perfect?" she retorted, sounding just as cocky. Castle smiled. He wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her too him. He kissed her deeply. Her hands went to the back of his neck, just taking the time to savor the connection between them. As the broke away Beckett worked the buttons and the clasp on his cummerbund. She carefully removed both items and set them on the chair in the corner as to not ruin them. When she returned to him she tugged the white t-shirt out of his pants and over his head. Castle grabbed her hips and stopped her from getting away again. He went in for another slow tantalizing kiss. Beckett let the t-shirt in her hand fall to the floor. Castle found her zipper with one of his hands and slid it down her back. She stepped out of the dress and he scooped it up and placed it in the chair with his tux. Beckett made her way to the bed and laid out across it, waiting for him. Castle toed out of his shoes and soon found himself staring at his new bride. She was stretched out across the grey comforter dressed in only a white strapless bra and matching lace boy shorts. Both items were a stark contrast to her olive skin. He let his pants fall to the floor, and he walked out of them on this way to the bed. Castle laid down next to her and ran his hands over her body, taking it all in. Beckett 's eyes dropped closed and she sighed contentedly. Castle sought out her lips and she took the opportunity to wrap her arms around him and pull him on top of her.

Castle watched the sun come up over New York City with his wife sleeping in his arms. They had slept on and off through out the night between sessions of slow sensual love making. He looked at her left hand sitting on his bare chest. He covered it with his and stroked it gently with his thumb.

"Rick, sleep," Beckett urged in a half asleep tone. Castle furrowed his brow and looked down to see her green eyes looking back at him. "Your breathing changed," she explained. Castle smiled.

"I hate it when you know me" he joked.

"What are you thinking about?" she wondered, noticing he had on his contemplative face.

"You, us, how happy I am," he answered.

"All good things" Beckett noted, leaning up for a quick kiss. "Since you're up, I'm going to check on Gen. I didn't want to wake you," she added, untangling herself from him. Castle watched as she stepped out of bed in his t-shirt and her boy shorts.

"You might want to put some clothes on first," he teased. She scowled at him and moved towards the dresser. Deciding, he didn't want to be alone; Castle got up as well and pulled on a pair of sweats and a tee. He sidled up next to her and kissed her cheek.

"Love you," he spoke against her skin.

"Love you too," she sighed contentedly, reaching for his hand.

When the two emerged through the office and into the living room, they saw Alexis and Genevieve still asleep on the couch. Sometime during the night, Genevieve had moved so she was now spooned against Alexis's stomach. Alexis slowly lifted her head and looked at the newlywed couple.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Early," Castle replied simply. "Did Gen wake up?" he asked softly, trying not to wake the sleeping girl.

"Yeah, I think she was confused, didn't know where she was. She moved closer to me and went back to sleep," Alexis explained.

"When do you have to be back at school?" he wondered.

"Later, much much later," she sighed dropping her head back to the couch.

"Rick, let her sleep," Beckett urged, pulling her husband into the kitchen. Castle made coffee for the both of them and leaned back against the counter as he took a generous sip. He couldn't help but smile as he looked over the rim of his mug at his wife.

* * *

**Be on the look out, the conclusion is coming soon! Please review! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's another chapter! I have more in the works and soon this will come to an end, but I have hear a little bit here and there about wanting some background on this story, so I may work on that!**

* * *

"What?" Beckett blushed under his gaze. He shook his head.

"Just looking at my wife," he wiggled his fingers so his wedding band clinked against his mug. Beckett's eyes were instantly drawn to the piece of jewelry, before moving her hand so she could see her own. She had married Richard Castle. There was part of her the still didn't believe it was real. The moment was interrupted by her phone buzzing across the counter. As she read through what appeared to be a very long message, and the brow furrowed deeper with each word, Castle moved to her side. "What does it say?" he wondered, leaning his head towards her. She reached around and grabbed his ear and pulled it hard. "Ow, ow, ok. I don't want to know that bad," he broke away and rubbing his sore ear. "I thought that would stop once we got married," he pouted.

"Why did you think that? You didn't stop being nosy," she teased. He narrowed his eyes at her. He moved back across the kitchen to lean against the counter and resume drinking his coffee. "That was Espo, he said they still have Cole in holding. They want me to come to the station to figure out if we're pressing any kind of charges," she sighed.

"Are we?" Castle wondered, raising one eyebrow.

"I guess that depends. He apparently requested to speak to me before any final decisions are made," she shrugged. Castle stared down into his mug, watching the brown liquid swirl. Beckett got the feeling there was something he wasn't saying, and he wasn't saying it very loudly. "Rick…" she started, but he waved a hand to cut her off.

"It's your decision Kate, he is the father of your child. I have no say in that part of your life. What you do is up to you and as your husband, I will support your decision," he finished with an honest smile.

"You mean that?" she checked.

"Of course I mean that, sweetheart. You have been doing this on your own a lot longer than we have been doing it together. I have no doubt that you will make the decision that is not only best for Gen, but is also best for our little family. I just want Gen safe and I know there is no one who wants that more than you. Last night...I just...she was so upset and I wanted it to stop. I just needed some control. I never meant to doubt you..." he trailed off. Beckett set her mug down and moved so she was in front of him. She set her hands on his chest and met his eyes.

"I know that, Rick. I told you last night, emotions were high. You had every right to be upset. You have no idea how much it means to me that you get that upset when it concerns my daughter. She has no biological connection to you and you have taken her in as one of your own. I just didn't want our conversation getting to the point where we started hurting each others feelings, we needed to walk away," she mentioned, sliding her hands up to intertwine behind his neck.

"Kate, biology doesn't matter. I love Gen and would do anything for her. You know that," he replied softly.

"I do," she smiled, rolling on to her toes and pressing a kiss to his lips. After a few moments, she stepped away again and started at him for a moment, furrowing her brow.

"What?" Castle wondered.

"You have that meeting with Gina and Paula today, don't you?" she checked.

"Yeah, why? Did you want me to come with you?" he countered.

"No," she replied quickly, earning a somewhat offended look from Castle. She blushed deeply. "That's not what I meant," she recovered quickly. "It's not that I don't want you there, I just think this is something that needs to be settled between Cole and I," she finished. Castle nodded in understanding. "I asked because I am not sure what we are going to do with Gen. I don't know how long I will be and Alexis is going to have to go back to school, plus you have your meeting. I know she normally does ok on her own, but I really think she isn't going to want to be by herself today..."Castle watched something register in her expression. Her eyes went wide. "our honeymoon..." she trailed off.

"Don't even worry about it, Kate. I'll make a few calls. We'll push it back," he shrugged. He reached out and set his hands on her arms. " As soon as we get all of this settled, you and I will be on a plane," he promised. "And as for today, I'll have Gina and Paula meet me here, then Genevieve won't have to be alone," he planned. Beckett took a deep breath, absorbing everything he said. She broke out into a huge smile.

"You are great, you know that?" she replied.

"I think I've heard that before," he retorted with a cocky grin. She shoved him in the shoulder and moved out of the kitchen to get ready for the day.

Castle set their mugs in the sink and eventually followed her into the bedroom. He couldn't stop himself from checking on the girl one more time. He threw himself on the bed and watched his wife gather what she would need for the day.

"Aren't you going to get ready?" she asked. Castle looked at his watch.

"Kate, it's barely six. Gina and Paula won't even be awake for another couple hours, not to mention ready for a meeting. And Cole can sit on ice for a few more hours. Come back to bed," he tried.

"Once I'm up, I'm up," she shrugged. Castle rolled his eyes. That was only true if she had to be at work, there were many weekends he had convinced her to catch a few extra hours after that infernal body clock of hers woke her. He pushed off the bed and went to catch her around the waist. "Rick..." her tone was a mix of annoyed and playful. Castle decided to encourage the playful.

"Just a couple hours, please Kate," he begged, pulling her ear lobe between his teeth. Beckett pulled away from him and sent him a look. "Come on, you know you want to get back in to bed with your husband," he tried again. The word husband sold her. She slid her drawer shut and followed him to the bed. He hugged her to his chest and they settled into a familiar position. "I love you," he said for what felt like the millionth time in the last twenty four hours, but he would never get tired of saying. Beckett would never get tired of hearing it.

She pressed an open mouthed kiss on the hallow of his throat and mumbled, "love you too." Her hand found its way under his shirt to rest on his ribcage. He sighed contentedly and kissed her hair.

* * *

A couple hours later, Genevieve moved out of her stepsister's hold and sat up to orient herself. She was still in her dress…and shoes? What did Rick do? Just carry her in and drop her on the couch. Drop. The memory of her father dropping her on the floor of the reception hall flashed through her memory. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, forcing the thought to go away. She carefully made her way up stairs and changed into her favorite Richard Castle t-shirt and a soft pair of shorts. She pulled the pins out of her hair and managed to get it into a sloppy ponytail before heading back downstairs.

She stood at the door to her mom and Rick's bedroom. She could hear hushed voices from the other side, so she knew they were awake, but she also knew there were times they didn't want to be disturbed. She didn't know if this was one of those times. So she knocked.

"Come in," Beckett called from the other side of the door.

"Hey Mom, Rick," Gen greeted, peeking around the door and entering the room.

"Hey girlie, did you sleep well?" Beckett smiled.

"As well as a girl can sleep with her shoes on," she retorted, sending Castle a look.

"Sorry about that, kid," he returned.

"At least they were my Chuck's and not those crazy sandals Mom wanted me to wear," she shrugged, climbing onto the bed between the two. Castle chuckled and hugged her into his side. She instantly curled into him, grabbing a fistful of his shirt. Beckett and Castle shared a look. Gen was never overly affectionate. She was always one for holding hands and piggy back rides and once she watched Alexis do it enough, she began kissing Castle on the cheek, but other than that, she usually kept to herself. Unless she was upset. "So what are we going to do today? Are you guys gonna pack for your trip?" she asked, rolling the soft fabric through her fingers.

"Actually, we are gonna take our trip in a couple weeks," Beckett mentioned. Genevieve sat straight up and looked between the two.

"That's my fault isn't it?" she assumed, her face dropping.

"No, as it turns out, Mexico is closed this time of year, strangest thing," Castle replied quickly, winking at her. She cracked a small smile and shoved him in the shoulder.

"Ok, so if you're not packing, what are you doing?" she repeated with that genuine twelve year old exasperation.

"I have to run to the station for a little bit and Rick has a meeting," Beckett answered.

"Am I going to hang here with Alexis?" Genevieve asked, obviously concerned where she fell into the plans.

"Nope, Alexis has to get back to school. You get to spend the day with me. My meeting is here," Castle grinned. The relief was evident on her face. They were right, she didn't want to be alone. She looked down at Castle's hand that was now in her lap, studying his ring. She smiled, knowing she helped pick it out. It matched the one she picked out for her mother. With that thought she grabbed her mom's hand and looked at the matching pair side by side.

"I'm glad you two got married," she decided.

"We're glad too," Beckett grinned, pulling her daughter into a hug and kissing her temple. "Now I have to go get ready to meet the boys at the station, you going to watch the news with Rick?" she checked. Gen nodded and curled into Castle's side as he reached for the remote on the nightstand.

"Let's see what's happening in the world," he said like he always did before turning on the news.

"I don't want to talk about it," Genevieve mentioned as soon as her mother disappeared into the bathroom. Castle registered what she said and wasn't surprised by it. He could usually get her to confide in him, especially with things she wasn't comfortable speaking to her mother about, but he knew he wasn't going to get her to talk about Cole. It was going to take her a few days to wrap her head around it, just like her mother.

"I didn't ask," he replied, still looking at the TV.

"You 'didn't ask' really loud," she grumbled. Castle chuckled. Yeah, she was just like her mother.

* * *

Castle didn't realize how much she didn't want to be alone until he went to make the arrangements with Gina and Paula. He had left Gen in the bedroom where she was drifting in and out of sleep during some made for TV movie. As he waited for Gina to pick up the phone, Genevieve appeared in the doorway of his office.

"You left," she stated, rubbing her eyes.

"I just had to make a few phone calls," he explained, listening to the call click over to voicemail. He quickly left a message and motioned for Gen to come into the room. She surprised him again when she walked around his desk and instead of hopping on to her usual seat, she climbed into his lap.

"How long is your meeting going to be?" she wondered.

"Probably an hour or so," he answered. She nodded but didn't say anything more as he did a quick check of his emails and fan sites.

"Dad?" Alexis called for his attention. He looked up, noticing the gooey expression oh his daughter's face.

"What?" he wondered.

"That looks good on you," Alexis laughed, gesturing at the scene in front of her. Genevieve had once again fallen asleep, her face buried against his neck.

"She had a long night, and she is very clingy today," he shrugged, knowing Gen's behavior was not normal for a twelve year old. "I take that back. She didn't bat an eye when Kate left, but I walked into the other room and I got the third degree for leaving her," he corrected.

"Well she's not clinging to Kate because Kate has always been there. She has a dad that doesn't want her around, so of course she is going to cling to her stepdad who can't get enough of her," Alexis grinned.

"Thank you pumpkin," Castle smiled softly. He knew he had put Alexis in some crazy situations but she supported him through thick and thin.

"No problem, but I have to get back to school. When are you guys leaving for your honeymoon so I can come hang out with Gen?" she checked.

"I don't know, we decided to postpone it. Kate wants to get the whole thing with Cole settled, including the aftermath," he explained, gesturing at the sleeping girl in his lap.

"Ok, well then I'll probably come by in a few days," Alexis decided. She walked around the desk and kissed her dad on the cheek before ruffling his hair.

"Alright, study hard," he responded. Alexis rolled her eyes and walked out.

* * *

Genevieve was wide awake and finishing lunch with her stepdad when Gina and Paula showed up.

"You want to get the door, kid?" Castle asked as he grabbed their plates. Gen slid off the stool and pulled the door open.

"Richard, did you really…"Paula stopped short when she realized she wasn't looking at Richard Castle. "You're not Richard," she noted.

"Nope," Genevieve replied, pointing the two women in the direction of the kitchen.

"Have you two met my stepdaughter Genevieve?" Castle started as Gen came around the counter to stand next to him. "Gen , this is Gina and Paula," he introduced. The girl waved at the two.

"I forgot you're married again, wasn't the wedding last week?" Gina commented knowing full well when his wedding was.

"It was last night, Gina. And you're just upset you weren't invited," Castle retorted.

"Yeah, don't feel so bad, doll. He didn't invite me either," Paula interjected, pinning Castle with a look.

"What do you say we get this thing on the road?" he changed the subject. The two women grumbled something and started towards his office with him hot on their heels.

"Rick?" Gen called after him.

"Yes sweetheart?" he stopped and turned back to look at her.

"Are you going to close the door?" she wondered. Castle studied her for a moment, realizing she didn't want to be shut out.

"No, I think we'll keep it open, we'll be done soon," he replied with a smile as he watched her relax.

* * *

Beckett did everything she could to avoid going to talk to Cole. She knew she needed to get it over with so he could be released, but she just wasn't ready. She was afraid if she went to talk to him too soon, she would react emotionally and that would only make things worse.

"Do you want me to go down there with you?" Esposito offered, his voice breaking through her musing. She smiled wryly as she remembered her husband asking her the same thing that morning. She had immediately told Castle no, but she knew he wouldn't be able to control himself around Cole. And she couldn't blame him for that. Castle was brilliant, but when it came to his family, he thought with his heart and the situation with Cole needed to be handled with the head. She looked at Esposito for another moment, considering his offer. The truth was she really didn't want to go alone, and Espo would handle himself like a cop.

"Do you mind?" she checked.

"If I minded, I wouldn't have offered. What I mind is that my friend is in the station the day after her wedding doing all she can to avoid talking to some bastard in holding. Let's get this done so you can get home to your family," he replied.

Cole looked like hell. His hair was hanging in his face as he sat on the bench, his elbows resting on his knees. He was more broken than she had ever seen him. It appeared he had hit rock bottom.

"Kate…" he sighed as he looked up at the sound of her shoes on the concrete. Esposito hung back. Just enough to be comforting, but not enough to intrude on their conversation.

"Cole," she replied curtly. She watched as he clasped his hands together to keep them from shaking. He was going through withdrawals.

"How's Geni?" he asked.

"Tough, just like you taught her to be," Beckett answered in a tone that was sure to let him know that was not supposed to be a compliment. His wince told her he got the point.

"Kate, I can't do this anymore. This is the first time I have been sober in the better part of a year. I am killing myself and I am hurting everyone around me. Especially Genevieve. I have been such an ass," he admitted.

"Cole, it's the same thing you've been doing for years, but you never change," Beckett mentioned.

"Well, I can't promise to change. It would be crazy for me to promise that. But I want to. I have every intention of checking into a rehab facility. But you know what they say about good intentions so since I can't make that promise to you or Genevieve, I want to sign over my parental rights," he disclosed.

"What?" Beckett blurted. That was the last thing she expected him to say. Yes, she was going to revoke his visitation rights, but she never expected him to hand over his parental rights all together.

"I am not doing anything good for her by dragging her into those meetings once a month. She hates them just as much as I do. And last night I showed her just how wonderful dear old dad can be, and she doesn't need that in her life. And Castle, wow is he great with her. I watched them for a little bit that day at the park. He draws her out in a way I've never seen," he finished with a sigh. Beckett couldn't help but smile at the mention of her husband and daughter's relationship.

"He gives her a lot of time and attention," she pointed out.

"See, I can't do that. I can't be the father she needs. I want to make up with her someday, but I want it to be on her terms and I want her to have time to forgive me first," Cole laid out.

"Ok, well, let me go get the paperwork," Beckett replied still somewhat befuddled by the conversation.

"Kate, can I ask you to do me a huge favor? I know I don't deserve it," he called her back.

"What, Cole?" she wondered, sounding irritated. This was typical Cole. He would give you what you wanted, but on his terms. Here came the catch.

"Can I say goodbye to Genevieve? I may never get the opportunity to speak to her again. Can I just try and explain this to her?" he asked. Beckett shot a look in Esposito's direction, looking for some guidance on this one. Would it be better for Gen if Cole just disappeared or would some kind of closure help the situation? Esposito just shrugged.

"Ok, but the second you upset her, it's over," she agreed, walking away.


	7. Chapter 7

**HERE IT IS! The conclusion to this wonderful story! (UNLESS YOU ALL WANT MORE?)There will be more in this series, but I am going to start a new story and to be honest I think I am going to go back and write a little back story. I want to see how Castle and Gen's relationship started out. I hope you've enjoyed this as much as I have, please review! :)**

* * *

As she printed the forms she would need, she dialed Castle's number. She hoped his meeting was over so he could run Gen to the station. She wanted this behind them. That, and hopefully he could tell her she was doing the right thing.

Castle watched his phone buzz across his desk. Gina and Paula were still yammering on about something and he was ready for them to leave over a half hour ago. When he saw it was Beckett, he knew this was his out.

"Um, I have to take this, it's Kate," he said quickly, grabbing the phone and moving out of the room.

"You never answer the phone that fast when I call," Gina pouted.

"And that my dear is why we aren't still married," he retorted as he hit the green button.

"I guess Gina is still at the loft," Beckett assumed as she caught his last statement.

"Yes, but hopefully leaving soon," he responded.

"Well, she may just have to because I need you to bring Gen to the station," Beckett requested.

"What's going on?" Castle questioned. Beckett sighed. She really didn't want to explain it to him, but she knew he needed to know.

"Cole wants to talk to her," she disclosed.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" he wondered. Initially, Beckett felt defensive, but she knew he was simply asking her if she felt that was the right thing to do.

"I'm not sure, but I think he needs to speak to her one time while he's sober," she answered, trying not to go into detail.

"Ok, let me get Paula and Gina out of the loft, then I will grab Gen and meet you there," he planned, accepting her logic.

"Thanks Rick," she ended the call. Castle slid his phone into his pocket and went over to where Gen was reading at the counter. He leaned around and peppered her cheek with kisses, eliciting a fit of giggles from the preteen. He set his hands on her shoulders.

"I need you to put shoes on, we have to meet Mom at the station," he informed.

"Ok, did she say why?" Genevieve wondered as she started up the stairs. Castle faltered for a moment. He didn't want to lie to her.

"Yeah, but I'm going to let her tell you," he deflected. This was between Beckett, Cole, and Genevieve and he really didn't know where his place was in all of that. Gen nodded and continued to her room.

Castle quickly turned back to his office to get rid of their guests.

"Ladies, I hate to cut this short but Kate and I have something we have to take care of," he announced.

"You can't be serious," Paula huffed.

"I'm sorry, but we'll have to finish this at another time. I'll be in town all week. We have postponed our honeymoon," he added.

"Is everything ok?" Gina checked.

"Of course, something just came up," he responded vaguely. "I'll call you later this week," he promised, ushering them out of the loft.

"Javi!" Gen squealed as she walked into the squad room. Esposito grabbed the girl and spun her around.

"Hey beautiful," he smiled.

"What am I? Chopped liver?" Ryan whined.

"Nooo," Genevieve replied, moving to hug him too.

"Yeah, Mom's the one who is chopped liver," Beckett teased as she walked towards her husband and daughter. She leaned up and gave Castle a quick kiss.

"Hey Mom," Genevieve blushed. "Why am I here? Rick wouldn't tell me," she continued, shooting a glance at her stepdad. Beckett shot him a very similar glance, one that told him she was not happy he didn't tell her. He threw up his hands in defense, saying this wasn't his fight. Beckett took Genevieve's hand and led her towards her desk. Castle followed while Ryan and Esposito busied themselves with paperwork.

"Your dad is still here and he wants to talk to you," Beckett informed. A mix of fear, hurt and anger crossed Genevieve's face. She couldn't believe what her mom was saying. They wanted her to talk to the man who dropped her on the floor last night. Castle told her she would never have to see him again. She turned to look at Castle.

"You promised," she spat. Beckett watched her husband go pale. It was like Gen had slapped him.

"Sweetheart…" he started, but Beckett waved him off.

"Genevieve, this has nothing to do with Rick. This was my decision. After this, you will never have to see him again. He just has something he needs to tell you," Beckett explained.

"I don't want to," Gen stated firmly.

"I know, but I promise it won't take long. And then we will do whatever you want for the rest of the day," she offered. Gen studied her, considering the idea.

"I don't want him to touch me," she conditioned.

"Ok, he won't," Beckett agreed. She set a hand on her daughter's back and gently pushed her in the direction of the room Cole was waiting in. She looked back at Castle who still looked like he was recovering from a severe blow. He nodded at her and leaned against her desk to wait for their return.

Cole looked up as his daughter walked into the room. For the first time he noticed how grown up she was. He wondered when she went from being a little girl to being the young woman who stood in front of him. He was sure he was drunk for most of it. He reached out to put a hand on her shoulder.

"Cole, don't," Beckett warned, keeping her promise to Gen. Cole's eyes flicked towards Beckett and then back to Genevieve.

"Genevieve, I wanted to say I am sorry for last night," he addressed her. She just stared at him. Beckett had to bite back a laugh. She told Genevieve that Cole wanted to talk to her, she didn't say anything about talking back. Cole fidgeted and tried again. "Look, I know I haven't really been the best dad and our time together lately has been…limited…" Genevieve turned to look at her mother, wondering when this meeting could end. Beckett pinned her with a look, telling her to hear Cole out. "So uh, I think it would be best if we didn't see each other," he mentioned and Beckett saw the same look on Gen's face that she saw on Castle's moments earlier. The girl had been so stoic but as her father mentioned never wanting to see her, she started to crack. "You deserve better honey, and Castle he is great and he really loves you. He can be everything you need in a dad," Cole tried to recover. Genevieve let him finish talking as she fought back tears and her chest burned. He not only dropped her on the floor, but now he didn't even want to see her. That might have been what she wanted, but he was still her dad. She at least wanted to be wanted. "But listen Geni, I love you and I hope someday…" this time Genevieve cut him off.

"No! You don't get to say that! You can't love me and not want me at the same time!" she screamed, turning around and running out of the room.

"Kate…" Cole sighed. Beckett shook her head.

"I told you the second you upset her it was over," she shrugged. Cole nodded.

"I really am sorry. About everything," he added.

"I know and in time Genevieve will understand that. Now please, go get the help you need," Beckett replied.

"You're not pressing charges?" he asked.

"Not if you really leave her alone and get cleaned up," she answered.

"I really appreciate that, Kate," he responded gratefully.

"Well I promise you, you bother her again, I will make sure you are prosecuted to the full extent of the law," she promised. The look on Cole's face said he believed her.

Castle straightened up as he saw Genevieve come around the corner in tears. The child shot at him. He stumbled backwards as he caught her. She was tall for twelve, but pretty lean. So with the exception of her long limbs, she wasn't yet too hard to hold. She buried her face against his neck just like she had done the night before. Now Castle was angry. This was the second time in twelve hours that Cole had upset her. If Beckett didn't do something, he was going to have to step in. His place or not.

Beckett knew she was in trouble when she saw Castle holding Gen. If he was anymore angry, smoke would have been coming out of his ears.

"He's gone, let's go home," was all she said, trying not to start a fight in the middle of the station.

The drive back to the loft was painfully silent. Castle was stewing in the front seat while Genevieve stared out the window in the back.

"So Gen, I told you we could do whatever you wanted. What would you like to do?" Beckett asked cautiously.

"I just wanna watch movies all day," Gen replied.

"Do you need to finish your meeting?" Beckett asked Castle. He just shook his head. Beckett reached across the center consol to grab his hand. She tightened her grip as she tried to pull away. She took her eyes off the red light and looked at him. "Rick, he's gone. For good," she informed. And with that, her husband finally began to relax.

When they got back to the loft, everyone scattered. Castle went to his office, Beckett went to the bedroom and Genevieve plopped down on the couch. After Beckett changed out of her work clothes she went to find her husband.

"Hey you," she greeted as she walked into his office.

"Hey yourself," he smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Are we ok?" this time it was Beckett's turn to ask.

"Yeah, being married to you is exciting," he laughed.

"Rick…" she scolded.

"I am so lost," he admitted. "You said Cole is gone, but I have no idea what that means," he sighed.

"We have a lot to talk about," she stated. "But I think it should wait until Gen goes to bed. I'm going to make a safe bet she will be in here any minute looking for us. But I promise to tell you everything," she recommended.

"Ok," he smiled again. She stared at him for a minute. "what?"

"I just thought once we were married, I would feel different. Do you feel any different?" she wondered.

"Kate honey, this is my third marriage. Of course I feel different," he chuckled, getting out of his chair and walking towards the bedroom.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she called after him. He didn't answer, instead he pulled his phone out and made a call.

Castle left a message for Alexis telling her they were having a family movie night and even though he knew she was studying , it would be great if she stopped by. He changed into his favorite sweats and went to join his wife and stepdaughter on the couch. Genevieve put herself between him and the arm of the couch. Beckett took up residence on his other side as the movie started.

"What I meant was this is the first time I have put a ring on my left hand with no regrets and it feels wonderful," he whispered. She smiled up at him and gave his bicep a gentle squeeze before resting her head on his shoulder.

At the start of the second movie, Alexis showed up with dinner. And by the end of the third, Genevieve was asleep in Castle's lap and Alexis and Beckett weren't far behind.

"Ok, I have to get back to school, I have a study group tomorrow," Alexis stated, pulling into a deep stretch.

"Alright sweetie, drive safe. Thanks for coming over," he smiled, pressing a kiss against her hair.

"No problem, it was fun. Bye Dad, bye Kate," Alexis replied, hugging Beckett before she found her shoes and left.

"I am going to take her to bed, then we'll talk," Castle planned. Kate nodded, breaking out into a big yawn. "If you can stay awake that long," he teased. Beckett rolled her eyes and leaned forward to kiss her daughter on the cheek.

"I'll be waiting," she smiled. Castle gently scooped Genevieve into his chest and carefully carried her up the stairs. As he set her on her bed, she stirred, tightly gripping his shirt. He tried to wiggle away but ended up at the edge of her bed without a shirt. He looked down and his bare chest and then over at his stepdaughter still clutching his now vacant t-shirt for dear life.

"Can you stay for a second?" she asked.

"Sure, if you give me my shirt back," he allowed with a light laugh. She made a silly face at him and tossed the garment back, hitting him in the face. "Thanks for that," he deadpanned, stretching out on the bed next to her. "What's up, kid?" he wondered. He could see her mind churning as she decided how to broach whatever subject she wanted to talk about. He had a feeling he knew what it was and he hoped he could come up with the right thing to say in return.

"You still want me, right?" Gen asked, her voice cracking and her eyes filling with tears.

"Oh sweetheart," Castle crooned, running his knuckle over her cheek. "You know the answer to that," he whispered. "There will never be a time when I don't want you," he promised. "You are such a special girl, Genevieve. Don't ever forget that. And you are so loved. By me, your mom, Alexis, Martha, Javi, Kevin, Lanie and I know you don't believe it or understand it right now, but you dad loves you too…" he trail off letting her absorb what he said.

"But Rick, he got rid of me, he told me he never wanted to see me," she cried. Castle sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, deciding how to play this one. Even if he didn't know exactly what was going on, he knew it was much more complicated than that. However, he also knew Genevieve was exhausted and the hurt was still really fresh, so she probably didn't want to hear the rational answer and at the same time he knew saying anything negative about Cole that would make him look any worse wouldn't help anything. So he went from there.

"That's his loss, Gen," he stated simply. Genevieve scooted closer to him. Castle kissed her hair. "And it is my gain, because now I get to be with you all the time," he added.

"Do you think you'll be my dad someday?" she asked wistfully.

"Maybe someday. Like I said, we'll talk about it," he deflected once again. Someday was a good answer. He needed a lot more information and he needed to discuss everything with Kate before they made any sort of decision on that front.

When Castle didn't return immediately, Beckett decided to go check on him. He was lying on Gen's bed on his side with Gen tucked tightly against him. It appeared they were both asleep so she entered the room quietly. She ran her hand over her husband's back. He craned his neck to look at her.

"Hey, I know you. You're my wife," he smiled.

"And I believe you're my husband, but I'm not sure since I haven't seen you a whole lot since we got married," she laughed.

"I told you, being married to you is exciting," he teased. She made a face at him and then looked over at Genevieve who was in fact dead asleep.

"Is she ok?" Beckett wondered.

"Yeah, we were just talking. I just wanted to make sure she was asleep before I left," he replied softly.

"Well, she is out now. You think you and I can finally talk?" she wondered.

"Sure," he agreed, kissing Gen's cheek and carefully extracted himself from the bed.

Castle stretched out on his own bed in way much similar to the way he had on Gen's earlier only this time he was facing a different Beckett woman. No, Castle. She was Castle now. He smiled at that thought.

Beckett sat cross legged on the bed looking at her husband. He had a dopey grin on his face. Lord only knows what he was thinking about.

"So...Gen talked to you?" she started slowly. Castle shook his head.

"No, you go first. I need to know what happened at the station today before I tell you anything," he pressed gently.

"Cole signed over his parental rights," Beckett stated. Castle's eyes widened.

"Just like that?" he wondered.

"Just like that. I was going to revoke his visitation rights, but before I could tell him, he said he wanted to give her up completely," Beckett shrugged. Her husband nodded slowly, still not really understanding, but what Genevieve told him was starting to make more sense.

"Did you end up pressing any charges?" he asked. She shook her head.

"I told him as long as he left her alone, I wouldn't. He said he was going into rehab and hoped he could make amends with Gen down the road, but on her terms," she explained

"If he means it, I guess that's a good thing," Castle replied slowly.

"Yeah, I don't know," Beckett sighed.

"Are you ok?" he checked, reaching out to take her hand. Beckett threaded their fingers together.

"I'm just wondering what all of this is doing to my daughter. I feel tremendously guilty," she admitted, blinking back tears.

"Kate, you shouldn't. Cole should," he responded, adamantly.

"What did Gen say to you?" she asked again. This time Castle obliged.

"She needed reassurance. She needed to know she was wanted and loved despite the fact that her dad didn't want to see her. And that's really all I did for her. I even made a point to not say anything bad about Cole. She is so confused about how she feels about him right now, and I didn't want to make the waters any muddier," he paraphrased.

"I appreciate that," Beckett replied with a grim smile. "How do you explain to a twelve year old that this is not her fault?" she asked, raking her hands through her hair.

"Everyday, as many times a day as you can?" he suggested with a smile. Beckett shoved him in the shoulder. "I was only half kidding," he admitted. "Every time she needs reassurance we need to give it to her until she understands that Cole didn't give her up because he didn't want her. He gave her up because he simply couldn't be her father. Hopefully sometime in the far future she realizes he did what he thought was best for her and she will be able to forgive him," he explained. Beckett released a long breath and moved into his arms.

"God Rick, I love you so much," she whispered against his neck.  
"I know, I'm pretty great," he said, squeezing her side. She made a face at him.

"You've always been your own biggest fan," she laughed, reaching between them to tickle his ribs.

"Oh, hey!" he squeaked, squirming and flailing, trying to fend her off as she continued her assault. He finally managed to wrap his arms around her and rolled them over, pressing her against his chest and effectively hindering her movement. Their laughter quieted as their eyes met. Beckett freed her hands and started to card them through his hair. She studied his face, there was something off. Something he was not saying and usually she was so good at reading him, but he was masking it well this time.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"Nothing wrong," he replied, shaking his head and he wasn't lying, there was nothing wrong. He was just mulling over things.

"Ok tough guy, tell me what that brilliant brain of yours is hung up on," she tried again, smirking. A slow smile crawled across his face, but he didn't answer immediately. "Rick…" she urged.

"She keeps asking me to be her dad," he said finally. Beckett gave him a quick kiss.

"I figured she would," she smiled. "And I think that's a great idea, but not yet," she admitted. Castle nodded. He agreed with that. "She needs time to adjust before we throw another curve her way. It's not that I don't think you would be a great father for her, because I know you will, but she is still getting used to having you in her life at all and that is without you stepping into the role of a parent who just gave her up," she continued. "Plus I don't want to do anything that could alter the relationship you two are still growing into, despite the fact that I am envious of it," she finished with a chuckle.

"Envious?" Castle parroted with just a hint of cockiness.

"Yes, you draw her out in a way no one else is able to. I don't know if she needed the extra attention you give her or if it's the fact that you two are both geniuses and you understand what makes her tick, but I have watched her personality blossom since she met you. She is so outgoing and social and you have really done a lot for her self confidence. I only wish we would have met you sooner, ya know for her sake," she couldn't stroke his ego like that and not tease him just a little bit.

"For her sake?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, I could met you later, for my sake," she replied.

"Lies," he stated confidently.

"ok, ok, you know I've been waiting my whole life for you," she replied.

"Of course, I'm worth the wait," he retorted, playfulness dancing in his eyes. Beckett gave both his ears a tug. "Again with the ears," he groaned.

"Behave yourself and I won't have to do it, Castle," she warned.

"Oh and a Castle too. I must really be in trouble," he laughed. Beckett rolled her eyes. Castle lifted his head and captured her lips in a kiss turning the moment from playful to sensual. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too, and I like the idea of you being the father of my children," she decided.

"Children?" he was making sure he heard her correctly.

"Someday, not now, but someday," she answered, wistfully. She moved her hands to gently cradle his skull and kissed him slowly. She pulled away and met his eyes. They were so warm and full of love. She hope she conveyed the same.

Castle wrapped his arms tighter around her waist, memorizing the feel of her body aligned perfectly with his, touching from end to end. Although they were both fully dressed in ratty sweats, the intimacy of the moment nearly took his breath away. It was always like that with her. Overwhelming.

"Let's stay like this forever," he suggested.

"I'd love to," she agreed, her eyes never leaving his and a small smile playing at her lips. Castle smiled too, realizing for the millionth time that day that this was now his wife. This time he got lucky. His smile widened even more as he remembered what Beckett had said a few weeks before the wedding. They were all lucky to have each other.

* * *

**I know, I know, the ending is a little cheesy.**


End file.
